Delta Naturalists Society

Delta Nats had a display at the Delta Regional Heritage Fair at the Harris Barn on May 9, presided over by Terry, Donna and Moira.  On May 10 the display at the Mother’s Day Tea with the Birds at Cammidge House was presided over by Marylile, Rob, Val, Joanne and Terry.  The display on both days included our new tent, banner and tablecloths.  Many adults and children were interested in the bird nests, other natural history items and printed materials.  Val led a group of adults and children on a birding walk.

For the third year in a row, the Boundary Bay Park Association (BBPA) celebrated International Migratory Bird Day with a Mothers Day tea at Cammidge House in beautiful Boundary Bay Park.  This year’s theme was Restore Habitat- Restore Birds.  It was a lovely sunny day, perfect for browsing displays on the porch and on the lawn and/or participating in one of two guided walks, followed by a delicious tea and a theme-related presentation.  About 24 children and 59 adults visited during the afternoon for a fun and educational experience.  Vanessa and Meghan, Metro Vancouver Park Interpreters, Catherine from Bird Studies Canada (also representing Important Bird Areas and the Young Naturalists Club) and Terry and his crew of volunteers from the Delta Naturalists Society engaged children and adults with their wonderful interactive displays and take-home brochures and buttons.  It was really amusing to see children getting a sense of how fast a hummingbird’s wings move by comparing their “wing beats” to those of a hummingbird (600 times in 10 seconds) and checking out bird calls with the help of “stuffies”.  Thanks go to:  Ursula Easterbrook of BBPA for organizing the event: Delta Corp. for the cookies, dainties, tea, coffee and juice: Anita and Denise for serving the refreshments: Valerie and Catherine for leading the upland birding walk: Jennifer and Doug for leading the intertidal/shoreline walk: Don DeMill for his presentation on restoring Burns Bog and to all of you who came out to celebrate with us.  The more we know about our little feathered friends the more we appreciate the incredible journeys they make and the need to retain and restore habitat for their migratory stop-overs as well as their nesting areas.
Elizabeth Perrin